Nikon D750….Thoughts

Nikon just announced the new Nikon D750. It looks like an amazing camera and will be the follow-up to the D700 that many of us have been waiting for. There are already technical discussions available on the web and I have been able to see one in person yet – they aren’t available until September 22nd, and I don’t rate a preview. I thought I would walk you through my thinking process about this camera – one I’m really excited about!

Nikon D750 (Nikon Image)

If you are a regular reader, you know my wife and I are both Nikon shooters, have been for years. I started with a Nikon D40 and upgraded over the years. For our studio, stock and landscape portfolios we have been using a D600 and a D700. My wife primarily uses the D600 and the D700 has been my primary body. The new Nikon D750 is the camera body I have been waiting for!

The D700 has been an amazing camera body. Build to handle travel, and I do take it with me when I travel for my other work, it is a trooper. For portrait work, the images that it produces are wonderful. They have a warmth about them straight out of the camera that requires very little adjusting. Combined with an 85mm lens, it is a great combination. However, I have started looking to upgrade.

Kansas Wheat Field

I recently was out in Kansas for a business trip and had a chance to get out at sunrise and sunset to capture some images for our stock portfolio. They have sold well, but, I was kicking myself for not taking the D600 for the higher resolution and better resolution in the shadows. This started me thinking about what was next.

The New Nikon D750

In looking at the available Nikon products, I had been in a dilemma. While I would love a D4 or D4S, I don’t want the weight or size, and honestly, it is more camera that I need. That left me with adding another D600 / D610 or the D800 / D810. I like the D600 series, but, I wanted a body that was a little more rugged in the design and we like to alternate the camera bodies we have. That left me with the D800 or D810. As recently as the last week I had been looking at used D800’s.

The D800 is an amazing camera for studio or landscape photographers, but the file size is more than I want to wrestle with since I don’t shoot landscape full-time. I know from experience the processing power and storage requirements that the 24MP images from the D600 need. Going up to a 36MP size file was more than I wanted to handle, but I had just about talked myself into one. Then, the D750 finally arrived.

In looking at the specs, it answers the issues I wanted. In short I was looking for a 24MP camera, with a faster processor than the D600 – check. I wanted a better ISO range than the D600 – check. I wanted two storage slots, something the D700 doesn’t have – check. The auto-focus of the D600 is good, but I wanted the better system from the D800 – check.

In short, I kept looking around and feeling like I could make a D600 or D800 work, but, knowing how/what I shoot I hadn’t found a replacement for the D700, and I was wanting a more modern sensor. The D750 looks like the balance I was looking for. There are some tradeoffs from the D700 in the way the controls are laid out but they are minor and I can live with them. Is this the camera for everyone? No, or Nikon wouldn’t be building the D610, D810 and D4S, but is sure looks like the one for me when I am ready to finally do the upgrade!

About David Fossler

Husband, Father, Pilot, Photographer, Blogger. I have been a pilot for over 25 years and taught or flown most modern general aviation aircraft up through the Cessna Caravan, Piper Meridian and Pilatus PC-12. My wife and I own a photography business and shoot with Nikon equipment. I grew up traveling - my first airline trip was at 6 weeks and I never looked back. Thank you for taking time to visit and read our blog.